The use of digital image-forming apparatus such as, thermal inkjet printers, piezo-electric printers, desktop printers, large format printers, and laser printers, has grown in recent years. The growth may be attributed to substantial improvements in print resolution and overall print quality coupled with appreciable reduction in cost, and ease of use. Today's image-forming apparatus offer acceptable print quality for many commercial business and household applications at costs lower than those offered in the past.
Media products (e.g., paper and fabric such as canvas) for receiving printed images are used in conjunction with these image-forming apparatus. For example, known imaging and printing media often include a base paper, coated with a single or multi-layer functional coating, such as ink receiving layer, curl balancing layer, and optionally image protection layer. In the case of paper, the base paper can be either uncoated raw base paper, coated base paper, or resin coated photo base paper. As can be appreciated the various and multitude of steps have to be balanced with the need for high quality imaging at an economically competitive and attractive cost.
Thus, there is a keen demand for media, that meet high quality standards with respect to brightness, opacity, and dry and/or wet strength, as well as providing water-resistant and vivid printed images, as printed with any of a wide range of colorants.